Never let the loyalty of a dog be questioned, even if his owner fails to give him that same level of love and respect. That was the situation that rescuers from the Kings SPCA-Rescue in Lemoore, California, faced when they were called to retrieve a dog abandoned by the side of the road.

It was so heartbreaking that one of the rescuers wrote an open letter to the dog's owner, calling the owner out for his callousness and lack of compassion.

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The dog, named Banjo by his rescuers, had been dumped along the side of a road near Fresno in January 2016. Despite his hunger and exhaustion, Banjo would not leave the spot where he had been left by his former owner. It took several rescuers and many hours to get Banjo and bring him back to the shelter. Shelter advocates estimated that Banjo had been there for five days.

Darlene Laboc, the Kings SPCA-Rescue shelter manager, believes that Banjo didn't want to leave that area because he was waiting for his owner to return. At the shelter, Laboc said, Banjo "cried for days." According to Laboc, the rescued dog was "so sweet and lovable."

Banjo's plight so moved one of his rescuers, a woman named Brooke, that she wrote an open letter to the person who heartlessly left Banjo alone on the road:

Today we noticed a couple of emails from people that had noticed your dog that had been abandoned on 15th ave and Excelsior ave. After looking at the date, your dog had been sitting there since Saturday morning at least. It was 3:00 pm today when we finally noticed the messages because we have been so busy. We decided to drive over and see if we could help. Sure enough there he was.

He waited for you.

He hadn’t left the place you made him stay. He was being a good dog. He stayed close to the last place he saw his favorite person in the world. He thought you were coming back. He was watching every car that would come down the road hoping it was you coming back for him. Your dog has been freezing, hungry, and scared for days because you are a heartless piece of crap.

He waited for you.

He was so hungry that he was eating sticks. Nice people had stopped to drop off food but he was still so hungry and confused. But even with food sitting in front of him he knew he had to wait for you to come back.

He waited for you.

He isn’t a bad dog. He is a very good dog. You were a bad friend. You abandoned someone that would give his life for you. Someone who doesn’t care how long you stayed away at work. Someone who is just as happy to see you if u just go outside to check the mail or if you leave for days. Someone who would lick the tears off your cheeks and the leftover food from your plate when u were done eating.

He won’t be waiting for you anymore.

After he was seen for day curled up in a ball on the road you left him, we came back for him. We came back with a fellow rescuer named Yvonne from Raven’s Rescue BullyBreed Sanctuary. It was getting dark and we could hear the coyotes in the distance. We sat there for hours. We talked to him. We sat there singing to him. We fed him and offered him a banket.Your dog ate from our hand after hours of throwing him wet food. Your dog finally came closer to us as we laid in the cold dirt telling him “everything is going to be ok and this is the last time anyone will hurt you”. Your dog finally let me pet the top of his head. Then behind his ears. Finally he didn’t run when I scooted over and sat next to him. He finally laid down and allowed me to give him belly rubs. He let me put a leash on him and didn’t try to run.

He didn’t panick until it was time to leave. He wanted to wait for you. He refused to walk to the van. I carried your huge dog to our van; your big, gentle, scared, and loyal dog. I carried your dog away from the last place he saw you. He howled the whole car ride to our shelter. He howled the most painful howl I have ever heard. It was the sound of his heart breaking. He desperately tried to get back to the spot that you left him. He frantically checked every window then watched out the back window as we drove away. His howls lasted until he came to the driver seat and howled at me. As I reached over to pet his head he looked at me so confused and laid his head on my lap and whined as we pulled up to the shelter.

You don’t deserve this amazing puppy. You don’t deserve any dog at all.My dog will forget about you. He will find a good home and will get the love he deserves. He will know what it’s like to have a real home.

I don’t care who you are or your excuse as to why you abandoned my dog. It’s probably a BS reason anyways. You are a scum bag. I pray your year is filled with karma and bad health.

Thankfully, Brooke was right. After a few weeks at the shelter, Banjo found a new home. Now renamed Jake, this formerly heartbroken dog is clearly happy. He is deeply loved and cherished by his new family, and his new canine brothers.

Congratulations, Jake, on finding owners who love and appreciate you! Be sure to share the video of Banjo's rescue and his moving story with your friends and family on Facebook.​